Diversity & Inclusion

At Duquesne University, Diversity is in our DNA

"Our Spiritan founders and sponsors have always believed in welcoming all and excluding none. Our students, faculty and staff represent every race, religion and socioeconomic background, and hail from nearly every state and 79 countries.

This mix of viewpoints and perspectives makes our campus a unique, vibrant learning community,and a Duquesne education a distinctive and transformational experience that lasts a lifetime. We promote and encourage diversity throughout the community, in all of its forms.

In that spirit, we have committed in our 2010-2015 Strategic Plan that Duquesne University will become an even more diverse community-one that sustains an environment in which human diversity is valued. We invite you to join us in Celebrating Diversity!" - Charles J. Dougherty, Ph.D., President

Duquesne University's commitment to fostering diversity on its campus led to the call for an increase having under-represented groups, women and minorities, in leadership roles in the institution's 2003-2008 strategic plan. This plan also aligns closely with the University's mission statement, which references concern for moral and spiritual values through the maintenance of an ecumenical atmosphere open to diversity.

Increasing targeted recruitment efforts required the establishment of strong alliances with community employment programs. However, it was quickly recognized that this effort alone would not guarantee an increased representation of minorities in the employment candidate pools. An even more proactive approach was necessary to better reflect the extent of the University's commitment to diversity and increase the success of its minority employee recruitment efforts.

In the fall of 2003, a minority faculty hiring program was implemented to increase the number of under-represented women and minorities in tenure-track faculty positions within our ten schools. Out of the ten minority faculty hired as a result, six remain employed today.

A Minority Development Internship Program was created to provide employment opportunities to unemployed or underemployed college-educated minorities through compensated, full-time temporary employment. The program launched in fall of 2007 with the selection of two interns.

The goals of this program are to:

• Offer basic managerial training to professionals of minority background.• Identify campus departments and programs that had a project or short-term assignment.• Define learning objectives and outcomes.• Set goals and measure performance. • Place the interns for a period of three to six months with the goal of rotating them through academic departments and business units once the assignment is complete.• Provide opportunities for interns to build upon their knowledge, skills, and abilities and increase their chances to qualify for permanent employment opportunities at Duquesne or at other organizations.

This initiative has helped to facilitate the permanent employment of minority professionals and increase the chances of retaining them. Since 2007, eight individuals have served as interns, six of whom obtained permanent employment at Duquesne. Of the remaining interns, one remains as an active intern in the program and the other resigned to pursue a career in the corporate arena.

In fall 2010, the University expanded its Minority Development Internship Program to include a part-time minority intern who would rotate through departments and develop enhanced clerical skills similar to those described in the full-time program. Since 2010, four interns have participated, and three of them have obtained permanent employment at Duquesne.

The following are testimonials from former Minority Development Interns:

"The Minority Development Internship Program allowed me to perfect my customer services skills, professionalism, and efficiency. It prepared me for the fast-paced environment and demanding responsibilities of the full-time position I attained." D'rese Despert, Administrative Assistant, Mylan School of Pharmacy

"Two years ago I came to Duquesne University as part of the Minority Internship Program. The transition from working in a corporate environment to an educational institution was made easy by the support and encouragement that I received through Human Resources. The dedication and investment made by the department that I was trained in adequately prepared me to be able to interview and secure a position within the University. This program exceeded my expectations in what it was able to do to introduce, support, train, and develop interns in such a short period of time." Anita Hough, Assistant Director, Enrollment Services

Connecting with Our Community:

The Center for Pharmacy ServicesThe Center for Pharmacy Services is a community pharmacy located in the Hill District of Pittsburgh. This is one of our five Academic Research Centers in School that is mission-driven and offers state-of-the-art, comprehensive clinical pharmacy services. It is a first-in-the-nation, faculty-designed, university-operated community pharmacy. The Center offers a unique educational training opportunity for Duquesne University student pharmacists.

The goal of the Center is to improve access to medications and patient adherence, while enhancing medication safety and reducing overall health care expenditures. We seek to improve access to affordable medications by coordinating resources and delivery options, and to improve patient adherence through regular patient contact and prescriber collaboration. Patient counseling is the primary focus. We are committed to working with community leaders and organizations, especially within the Hill District, to bring medication therapy management and pharmaceutical care to local residents. To learn more about the services provided please visit: http://www.duq.edu/academics/schools/pharmacy/centers-and-programs/the-center-for-pharmacy-services

Pittsburgh Diversity City 365 Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's commitment to Diversity and Equal Opportunity throughout the City of Pittsburgh is evident with the DiverseCity 365 Program. The program recognizes and promotes a diverse Pittsburgh culture 365 days a year. DiverseCity 365 aims to provide access to opportunity, remove employment and engagement barriers, and ensure the city's realization of its diversity goals. To learn more about the City of Pittsburg's Diversity City 365 please visit: http://www.pittsburghpa.gov/personnel/diversecity365/

The Hill House AssociationThe Hill House Association is an independent nonprofit organization offering a wide range of programs and services to Pittsburgh's Hill District community and surrounding areas. Through its unique multi-generational service model, dedicated staff, and redevelopment efforts, the Hill House continues to positively impact the futures of the residents and communities it serves. Please visit the Hill House Association to gain more information about the services they provide for the Hill District Community at http://www.hillhouse.org/home.html

Vibrant PittsburghVibrant Pittsburgh is an organization that believes a more diverse and talented workforce means a more vibrant future for the Pittsburgh region. So, we do things in support of that mission. Read more about our mission, values and leadership in this section and then click around the site for information about the region, careers in Pittsburgh, news, events and more. To learn more about Vibrant Pittsburgh, please visit: http://vibrantpittsburgh.org